A researcher from the Northern Arizona University’s Biology Department, Ted Schuur, in his recent findings explains that the climate change was also the reason that Arctic is warming rapidly. The increase in greenhouse gases in Earth’s atmosphere is leading to global warming, but according to the researcher, this could be the other way round as well. It means that the warming of Arctic is seen as a cause of this global warming.
The plight of warming Arctic
The Arctic as well as subarctic regions, at present, has been estimated to have 1,330 to 1,580 billion tons quantity of the organic carbon that is blocked into the frozen soil. The researchers explain that there is a possibility that more quantity of this substance is locked within the womb of permafrost. The fact is enough to trigger serious consideration of reducing the human emission of greenhouse gases into the air.
The researchers explain that with the warming of Arctic, the risk of microbes getting activated will increase and this will lead to a release of methane and carbon dioxide in atmosphere, the quantity of which will be worth more than centuries.
Ted Schuur says that the question in such a scenario is that what quantity, how fast and what will lead this carbon to escape. However, his research answers the question, but partially. The study says that the release of carbon will take place gradually. This means that the greenhouse gases will find a way out in several decades instead of bursting all in just a single decade. If, at all, these gases release in just one decade, it will be a disaster that will not allow humans to curb the global warming.
The flip side to this is that there will be substantial sources of these gases moving forward, even if human emissions are restricted.
In the research, it is also explained that the present scenario of climate change can be attributed to the activities of humans only. For example, the study says, burning of the fossil fuels leads to a natural carbon cycle, which is trickier to regulate or curb.